Partha Chatterjee is an Indian politician and member of the Trinamool Congress. A five-time MLA from the Behala Paschim Assembly constituency, Chatterjee was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in July 2022 for his alleged involvement in the teacher recruitment scam in the state School Service Commission (SSC)
Wiki/Biography
Partha Chatterjee or Partha Chattopadhyay was born on Monday 6 October 1952 (age 70 years; as of 2022), and he hails from Kolkata, West Bengal, India. His zodiac sign is Libra. After attending Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Narendrapur, he enrolled in New Alipore Multipurpose School, Kolkata. He completed his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Calcutta (1982). He also pursued a B.A. (Hons.) in Economics at Asutosh College, Kolkata. Thereafter, he pursued a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management, Kolkata. In 2014, he obtained a Doctorate in Economics from the University of North Bengal. He had been writing his PhD thesis on Transformation of Industrial Economy to Knowledge Economy with reference to Human Resource Management since 2009. He has obtained a degree in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations (PMIR) at the Industrial Society of London, UK, under a British Council Scholarship.
Partha Chatterjee (left) during his college days
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 4″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
Partha Chatterjee’s father’s name is B.K. Chatterjee. Not much is known about his mother and siblings.
Wife & Children
Partha Chatterjee’s wife, Babli Chatterjee, died in July 2017 due to cardiac arrest. His daughter, Sohini Chatterjee, is an IT professional, and she is married to Kalyanmoy Bhattacharya. During the 2016 West Bengal Legislative Assembly Elections, Sohini Chatterjee revealed that she aided her father in social media campaigning.
Career
Before foraying into politics, Partha Chatterjee had worked as an HR professional at Andrew Yule & Co., which is a government undertaking. He has also served as the National President of the National Institute of Personnel Management, Kolkata (Calcutta).
Politics
After Mamata Banerjee quit the Congress and formed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in 1998, he joined her party. He has served as a member of the TMC’s disciplinary committee. Later, he became Secretary General of TMC Bengal.
Partha Chatterjee and Mamata Banerjee
2001 West Bengal Legislative Assembly Elections
In 2001, Partha Chatterjee contested and won the Behala West Assembly seat (now known as Behala Paschim), defeating Nirmal Mukherjee, a candidate of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM), by 19,477 votes.
2006 West Bengal Legislative Assembly Elections
In 2006, Partha Chatterjee contested and won the Behala West Assembly seat, defeating CPM candidate Niranjan Chatterjee by 5727 votes. From 21 September 2006 to 13 May 2011, he served as the Leader of the Opposition in the CPM-led Left Front government.
2011 West Bengal Legislative Assembly Elections
In 2011, Partha Chatterjee contested and won the Behala Paschim Assembly seat, defeating CPM candidate Anupam Debsarkar by 59,021 votes. Thereafter, he was allotted the portfolios of Commerce and Industry, Public Enterprises, Information Technology and Electronics, and Parliamentary affairs under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He was then also nominated as the Deputy Leader of the House. On 20 May 2014, he was appointed as the Education Minister of West Bengal.
2016 West Bengal Legislative Assembly Elections
In 2016, Partha Chatterjee contested and won the Behala Paschim Assembly seat, defeating CPM candidate Kaustav Chatterjee by 8896 votes. In the Second Banerjee ministry, Partha Chatterjee continued to serve as the Education Minister of West Bengal until 10 May 2021. Meanwhile, he was also allotted the portfolio of Parliamentary Affairs.
2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly Elections
In 2021, Partha Chatterjee contested and won the Behala Paschim Assembly seat, defeating BJP candidate Srabanti Chatterjee by 50,884 votes. When Mamata Banerjee sworn in as the CM of West Bengal for the third consecutive time in the polls, she again allocated the portfolios of Commerce and Industry and Information Technology and Electronics to Chatterjee.
Controversy
SSC Scam
In July 2022, Chatterjee and his aide Arpita Mukherjee were arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with West Bengal’s alleged teacher recruitment scam. The alleged scam in the SSC and the Primary Education Board took place during Chatterjee’s tenure as the state education minister. He faced corruption charges for ensuring jobs in exchange for money for the candidates with lower marks rather than those making it to the merit lists.
Partha Chatterjee with his aide Arpita Mukherjee
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- HR Excellence Award from IPM, Sri Lanka
Assets & Properties
- Deposits in Banks, Financial Institutions and Non-Banking Financial Companies: Rs 64,46,187
- Residential Buildings: Rs 25,00,000
Net Worth
His net worth is Rs 1,15,94,863 (as of 2021).